


Earth-7010: Phase Two

by Cacoethes (EvenEcho)



Series: Earth-7010 [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Angry Odin (Marvel), BAMF Gamora (Marvel), BAMF Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Confused Steve Rogers, Dragon James Barnes, Dragon Natasha Romanov, F/F, F/M, God Tony Stark, How To Be A Dragon 101, M/M, Magic training, Multi, Multiverse, Natasha is Natalia, Parent Frigga (Marvel), Protective Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Worried Clint Barton
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:54:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24170875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvenEcho/pseuds/Cacoethes
Summary: There are only a few years left before The Mad Titan launches an attack on Earth. Tony has two dragons, multiple universal powers, and spends his time collecting more allies for the big shit show he knows will go down soon enough. If he happens to do anything 'good' it's probably an accident, but if it gets people to join him for the toughest battle in the universe since he arrived, well, he won't deny his part in being the 'good guy.'
Relationships: Clint Barton/Laura Barton, Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Nebula/Natasha Romanov
Series: Earth-7010 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710130
Comments: 11
Kudos: 33





	Earth-7010: Phase Two

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, here's chapter one of Phase Two. I'm still working on Chapter Three, so I may not update until I have a bit more written. I'll be adding tags and a bunch of stuff as I write since I have a very basic outline that I'm sort of coming up with on the spot, so yeah. I tried planning things out, it didn't work, so here we are.

2,513 BCE

James’ POV

Teleportation had always been his weakness. Something about magic didn’t like the fact that he had wings he could use to fly yet also wanted to teleport. He had one or the other, and with his wings, it took him an hour to get home, even as he flew faster than quinjet from the past universes could fly. He wasn’t up to sound-breaking speeds yet, and he hadn’t been able to do so without some heavy charmwork first, but still, he was too tired to fly. 

He was on his way home from Maw. They were on Sakaar, they had been for about twenty or thirty Earth years, which was practically a century on Sakaar. Time worked differently, but on Sakaar it changed depending on which hemisphere one was within at any given moment and Maw was in the South while Crown City, where he lived, was in the North. Honestly, he was always tired after he visited Maw -- he was one of the ‘professors’ there -- but today had particularly worn him out. He didn’t want to deal with Mawkaw Magkong ever again. The beast was huge and was made of lava. He was a sentient bucket of magma the size of the planet Mercury, and while James could easily freeze him over and over, the beast never died because the Red King demanded his ‘contestant’ remain alive even if James had to ‘incapacitate’ him almost thrice a week just to keep the baby kronans safe. 

His body folded back into a human shape and he glided to the white stone balcony on the tower they lived in. It’s peak scratched the sky and to the right was a colosseum-esque arena that the Grandmaster had taken over years earlier. The Grandmaster, in every universe, was always pleasantly surprised by him, and in every universe the Grandmaster took care of them. This time, they managed to see that Sakaar was ruled by _two_ people, the Red King held one half and the Grandmaster held the other. It just so happened that while he endeared himself and Anthony to the Grandmaster, Anthony had been busy seducing the Red King which gave them super immunity on the land and it brought for an excess of riches lavished down on them. Of course, favour was always interesting, but to be favoured by an immortal Elder of the Universe and an Imperial Sakaaran Emperor was especially gratifying. 

Their room was expansive, they needed a safe place to keep his horde, and the safest place was with him. The room functioned as their sanctuary and it could be accessed only two ways, Anthony could teleport them or himself inside, or he could fly to the balcony and enter through double doors paned with glass tempered by the heat from monsters such as Mawkaw Magkong -- the bastard blob he was. 

Across the floor were the furs from animals from across the universe, this one and the ones they visited in the past, and upon those cared for rugs there were the jewels, the coins, the art, and the textiles that he adored. In the center was a tall four-poster frame shaped in the furnaces of the Abyss made of gold, much to his displeasure. Of course dragons should like gold, it’s beautiful, but it’s also tacky and overdone. Honestly the colour wasn’t even nice to him anymore, and his preference for soft metals like gold and silver disappeared when he saw the resilience in the stronger materials. If he had his way they would be in the Abyssal Palace where things were safe, but Anthony couldn’t pass the time like he could. Anthony needed movement and excitement, it was simply his boisterous nature, and of course he needed the peoples’ attention wherever they went (and the ‘children’ were typically hostile and all they did was care for the annoying Lokis that Anthony insisted upon collecting like candy left to rot in an anthill). 

Upon the golden frame was their bed and on the bed was Anthony, spread out and wrapped in a translucent sheet while he ran his fingers through the holograms above his head. He was working on something again, he had been working on this for a while, but Anthony never let him see what exactly it was. He suspected it was a new ship design, but he also suspected it was another blueprint of what they would drop at Earth to cause the chaos and embed themselves back into the history of the founding of their civilization after they returned from wherever it was they travelled. 

“I was informed you broke two kronans today after your fight with Magkong,” Anthony said. 

“They were irritating.” 

“One Angmo-Asan the Second irritates me but I don’t erase his existence.” Anthony flicked his wrist and the hologram went flying into the wall before crashing into the wall with a spark of gold and then breaking before dissolving back into the projector it came from. Of course everything Anthony did and had came from his sense of needing flashier and ‘cooler’ things than everyone else. It was a trait he admired. Somehow, despite being at least twenty times James’ age, Anthony still found pleasure in things. James was nearly twenty-six thousand years old now. Anthony rolled around the bed and off on the side left side, the one closest to him, and struggled out of the sheet. 

Knowing that Anthony could make that sheet disappear without hesitation made it all the more adorable. He was doing these things for a reason, and after so long, the smallest details, such as not vanishing a sheet into thin air, meant so much more than they would have should he have aged and died like all other things. 

“What’s wrong?” Anthony asked, petting his cheek as he did so. 

“I’m tired of fighting Kronans and the Grandmaster’s champions.” 

“We can move along now. I’m sure the Red King and Grandmaster will understand our need to get away. It’s been at least a century, surely they couldn’t be under the impression that we would stay forever. That would be cruel and unusual.” Anthony kissed him like it made everything better. To be fair, it did work a little at least, and he grabbed Anthony’s waist, holding him against him by the small of his back before remembering he was covered in clothes that had kronan dust all over it. Also, there was the blood of a variety of other creatures, too. Most of them weren’t entirely willing, but he kept them alive and taught them how to stay that way, well, unless he killed them first. 

All murder aside, he was good at teaching lessons like that, especially because he could easily detach himself from their personhood to do so. Objectify them like he had so long objectified himself and they could no longer be hurt or sad. They didn’t feel pain or terror, they just _were_. Targets to be eliminated. It simplified complex things into manageable states. 

“Go clean up and I’ll find us a suitable planet to travel to. Maybe one where we can nest.” 

With a bit of his help, Anthony took their belongings and moved them through pocket dimensions and through portals for safe keeping. Had anyone else even picked something up from his den he would have bitten their hand off, but Anthony would never steal from his horde because it was his horde too. It was _their_ horde. And although he was the only one who really ‘nested,’ he did enjoy that Anthony was so understanding of dragons because in the beginning he had a hard time trying to adjust to unsettling urges only to be reassured that it was because he was a dragon now, essentially, and they had needs that were unlike anything humans had. Of course, he had also changed him with whatever innate magic was already there, and a dragon is what it manifested until ‘dragon’ and ‘James’ were synonymous. 

He was dressed in a uniform he had kept for so long, enchanted armors that fit to his form in matte black and knives, guns, and more all designed with him in mind from the Abyss. It was all very personal, everything of his was, and the thought of never having gotten it… it was painful to just think about. All those other James Buchanan Barnes were suffering whatever torture and he was there relishing in the freedom and joy of an eternity with Anthony, even if it wasn’t always wonderful (constant happiness was a fool’s dream. He loved Anthony but there were always times when they butted heads -- it usually resulted in destroyed planets and/or extinct civilizations). 

“Would you like me to deal with the Red King and Grandmaster?” 

“I want to come along,” he said. What he meant was: I don’t trust them to not try something stupid and I’m a protective and possessive bastard, so you’re stuck with me. That being said, Anthony put his own armor on in the form of an enchanted necklace he tucked inside his tunic and tied the belt around the waist of his pants, the belt that carried multiple throwing knives -- thin, durable, and deadly. He kicked his feet up and James laced his boots for him because of course Anthony wouldn’t be caught dead lacing his own boots when he had a dragon who’d do it for him instinctively (he wasn’t a trained dragon, he wasn’t a pet, but it was simple and it was kind, so why not indulge Anthony, the man who did so much for him all the time?). 

“I think bursting into the palace riding a dragon is a little too intimidating, so I’ll portal us in.” 

“Your dragon wants to be ridden,” he said, petulantly and fully aware that Anthony would understand the joke, even if he was being partially serious. He was rewarded with a kiss and a slap to the ass before Anthony opened a portal and grabbed his hand. 

“And we’re going off planet after the meetings. I’ll ride my dragon thoroughly when we get to our cave.” 

A blue portal opened up and he took another look at the room and saw the golden sparkle of the wards keeping intruders out fall around them. He stepped into the portal first and stood to the side to let Anthony through.

The Red King’s throne room was very much like that of Asgard. Golden. It was hideously gaudy but he couldn’t exactly voice that opinion to someone like this, well, not in the man’s presence. He raised his hand to force the guards around the room to halt their step. Red seeped from his fingers and curled around the others in their golden plates with their golden spears. He dropped them when Anthony walked through and the portal closed. Angmo-Asan the Second stood up from his throne with open arms. His tunic was nice but nothing compared to Anthony’s own. Of course the King was dressed and decorated like the Imperial Sakaarans typically did and like always it was just too much. 

“Anthony.” 

“Red King,” Anthony said, nodding his head in acknowledgement of his position above him, or the illusion of it. “I came to inform you that we must move on now, but of course we couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to our generous emperor.” 

“Surely you can stay for a couple weeks more? What’s a few days to your outrageous lifespan?” 

“Unfortunately we cannot, and a few days means more to me, as an immortal, than you’d ever realize. I have eternity but I refuse to spend it in stagnation. You must understand that he needs to stretch his wings and I need to garner allies across the universe. Can I still count on you to join me should I need your assistance, or should I find agreement elsewhere?” 

James wanted to place a hand on Anthony’s shoulders, ease the tension building, but he knew he shouldn’t for appearances sake. It was well known that they were in a relationship, but to most people it seemed like something done out of duty. The poor dragon fights for his immortal master who owns whatever draconic-mage contract their idiot brains think exist. It’s been that way for so long. He is either victimized as a magic-bound, glorified slave or villainized as the over protective dragon who keeps his an immortal for entertainment, the former is far more what he runs into, but some people remember the power behind dragons and they misunderstand that it’s neither of those things because it doesn’t need to be. 

“And if you shouldn’t?” The Red King stood from his throne and took sauntering steps down the golden stairs before he walked on the ground like the other peasants. He held his hand up to stop the guards from rushing to them (as if James would allow that to happen) and walked up to Anthony, standing far too close but not close enough for James to justify an attack. That didn’t mean he just watched it happen, and from where he stood, he looked down at the little King, an inch taller than Anthony at the most, and stared him down. 

Angmo-Asan the Second was a young King, his father having been murdered before he yet ascended to the throne and as Sakaarans did, they raised him to King due to lack of Imperial blood elsewhere. He was tiny and gained his power from a golden suit that he often wore to make himself larger and stronger, but without it he was a diminutive mortal who would likely crunch if he were to take a bite out of him. He was tempted to do that, but he knew for a fact that eating him would cause more trouble than it would solve. 

“Then I suppose I’ll call upon the debt you owe me should I need you.” 

So that golden suit that the King so often wore was designed and created by Anthony, the master of metalwork and forging just as he was the god of magic, of death, and a slew of other things that he had taken on as his own domain. He wasn’t a god like the Asgardians or Olympians were because he surpassed them, and rather than being born into his title and domain, he forged his path and took what he wanted, leaving the rest behind in a mess of broken odds and ends. 

The Red King owed Anthony a debt. What most people didn’t know was that Anthony granted more wishes than he collected on because what could people needing guidance offer him? Nothing much, but he keeps it this way just in case. 

“Then--” 

“I suggest you don’t tell your guards to attack.” The Red King paused, his face falling from a sharp smile into heavy frown in an instant. “I think you’ve forgotten who’s in control. Would you mind showing them, darling?” 

James rolled his shoulders before he jumped forward and landed as a dragon. He looked to Anthony for guidance, moving his tail to pin people to walls and his wings to keep anyone from throwing anything at Anthony. One guard struggled free and before he could get close enough to stab anyone with his crooked spear, he bit his head off and dropped it in front of the guards who were still rushing forward. When red blood pooled at their feet and the dead eyes of their fellow soldier looked up at them, they were struggling to be free, but they rushed in the opposite direction of the king. 

“Cowards!” 

“No, not cowards. They’re saving themselves, it’s very clever. That’s how you survive, that’s how everyone in the world survives.” 

“Everyone except you.” 

“Except me, and James. So, I think we should leave before anyone else loses their head over this issue, don’t you agree?” 

“You’re not nearly as strong as you think you are,” the Red King said. In a quick movement, one that was surprising but not at the same time, he stabbed Anthony in the stomach. James pulled him away by the back of his tunic and was on his knees in front of Anthony a second later. He pulled the blade out with a sickly sound, dropping it on the ground as red blood evaporated off the golden surface, and looked up at Anthony’s smiling face. He couldn’t not smile, he seemed so happy, like he was terribly amused by this all. He probably was, and to be honest, so was James. He dropped the pathetic Sakaaran dagger to the ground and stood up. He could hear the heartbeat of the Red King quicken, his blood pumped faster and faster and finally he was making half-word sounds, like he wanted to apologize but he couldn’t. 

James turned to him and said, “No, no. Don’t do that, you might hurt yourself. Here, take a deep breath.” He moved closer until he grabbed the Red King at the point between neck and shoulder and held him tightly. “It’s more fun when you’re alive.” 

“You c-can’t kill me,” the Red King said, his attempt at pulling away was half hearted and feeble. James knew he was pathetic without the suit, but he was even more so than he had originally assumed. He typically left the political business to Anthony since he seemed to enjoy it so much, but he and Anthony both enjoyed moments like these. Not only would he be able to fuss over him for the next few days, but he also got to see Anthony rip his enemies to shreds. “I’m the King.” 

“You’re _a_ King. There’s no shortage of pretentious idiots waving around their daddy’s money and ruining a legacy built up from the rubble of hardship. Don’t worry, I don’t think you’ll be missed all that much.” Anthony stalked forward and held one hand against his waist while the fingers of the other hand trained down his neck and against his chest before he rested his palm flat against his sternum. He used his nails to rip through the tunic and pulled down the fabric to expose the flesh over his heart. “Now, this is going to hurt, but you won’t be able to move.” 

It was clear that the King was trying to move and found that his body couldn’t. Anthony’s hands were enveloped in the only gold that he was accepting of at this point, the gold of his offensive magic which burned through the Red King’s body, slowly. He saw the embers flick against his skin and sink inside his body before the vibrant red flesh was reduced to gray, parts of his body rotting while other pieces still lived. The best part of this was the fact that the energy taken from his body was being stored inside him, that’s why Anthony held onto his waist. From the dying body, into Anthony (healing his body) and then passing into him where it would stay safe. It was like eating ten people, and it felt just as refreshing. The Red King was reduced to ash in the golden halls of his wasted palace, and Anthony summoned the metal suit to them and then melted it into a pool of gold that picked up what ash was left and burnt it into nothingness. 

“We have to speak to the Grandmaster now. He’ll keep an eye on this for me. He’s smart, he knows that we make better allies than enemies.” 

Before James entered the portal, he kissed Anthony and held the back of his head for a moment. He hadn’t been expecting him to lose an ally, in fact he had expected to have to fight the Red King from trying to make Anthony stay, but the spoiled brat thought that Anthony’s mercy meant he was somehow inferior and weak. He wondered if he ever thought that way before he was immortal, and if he had, then he didn’t remember it. Hopefully he was never so stupid, but since he was still alive he thought he must have thought differently. Then again, he would never be stupid enough to mistake Anthony’s small frame and sometimes his more passive behaviour as something that made him any less than what he was, the best (and worst) thing that ever happened to any universe he graced with his presence. 

The Grandmaster was sipping on a bright pink drink and shaking his hips on the dancefloor like the odd man out despite this being his luxurious penthouse. He saw them and approached without hesitation. He finished the drink in his hand and it was quickly taken away by a servant woman with a tray held at her shoulder.

“Oh, you’ve got blood on you. That’s gonna stain.” 

“Don’t worry about my wardrobe, I might not have to bother with it for a while where we’re going.” 

“You’re moving? Like, to the countryside?” 

“Countryside? There’s a countryside here? I think not,” Anthony said, picking up a cocktail from one of the women walking by. He took a drink and handed it to James shaking his head. James tried it and thought that Anthony was right. Whoever drank that might as well be drinking battery acid, and he set it back down on a dish when a man walked by this time. The Grandmaster, in this time, managed to down three drinks and rubbed his wrinkling knuckles in a worrying motion. 

“So you’re moving off planet? Will you visit?” 

“We can drop by every now and again. One day we’ll come back and I’ll bet against you as usual and for James, because he’ll win of course.” 

“Yeah, well not all of us can find a beefcake to bet on. Of course he beats them up, look at those eyes, they’d beat themselves to keep his face from bruising, huh doll?” The Grandmaster was talking to him, which happened often, but then he realized that the Grandmaster expected him to reply to him, which wasn’t nearly as common. 

“Uh…?” 

“That’s my eloquent champion,” Anthony said after a brief silence. “The best words are typically left unspoken for good reason. And if you can find someone to replace the Red King then that’d be great because he’s no longer with us.” 

“Like…” the Grandmaster made a motion across his neck, like severing the head with his thumb. James nodded and the Grandmaster’s scowl widened humorously before he snapped out of whatever thought he had and took another drink. He kissed both of Anthony’s cheeks and then kissed his cheeks before waving at them. “I’ll deal with it after the party!” 

That must be the appeal Anthony saw. The man hardly took things seriously, and that must seem like a pleasant trip out of reality and into his mind to see what he wanted to see, and only that. Selective hearing and thought were rarely helpful in the long run, but the Grandmaster, who was very old (and had been around before they first arrived in the universe), must have a way to deal with it effectively despite what front he puts on. Anthony opened a portal and he stepped through it again, knowing very well that as soon as he stepped through the blue mirage he would be off Sakaar for the first time in quite some time. He walked into a chilly cave. 

The floors were stone, and he heard the clattering of dried bones knocking against one another. He walked through the cave system, stopping to look at the huge valleys in different areas before finding the exit. He stepped into a flurry of snow and ice. He saw movement in the distance and when he finally realized what it was, he was surprised he had never been to this planet before. There were skeletons with rusted blades walking through the snow. He walked back inside the cave and helped Anthony dress their newest home. 

He couldn’t breathe fire, so he resorted to using magic like any decent mage, and lit the coals off to the side of the cave. He held Anthony where they rested on the floor, mattress on top of furs and stone rather than the tacky bed frame he never verbally expressed his dislike of. Of course that was a detail Anthony would pick up on, he always knew things before James knew he was aware. Anthony had drifted into sleep after a cup of coffee and being pulled against his surprisingly warm body where James held him close and watched the fire crackle and burn in the pit. 

It was just as he was drifting to sleep when he caught movement in his sight and all thoughts of rest were abandoned. He untangled himself from Anthony and got up to see what was going on, and which idiot thought it wise to travel into a cave full of treasure. He caught a woman dressed in black sitting on the top of the wooden bookshelves that lined the library. He was a man with many collections for his ever growing horde, but he didn’t often let people see his treasure without extensive observation of their person beforehand. He didn’t trust easily, especially not when everyone was trying to survive, which meant that loyalty wasn’t always a guarantee. 

“I’m surprised to see a dragon alive. I heard they went extinct over ten thousand years ago, so how did one find his way onto my planet?” 

“If you know I’m a dragon then you must surely know that disrupting a horde is in extremely poor taste. And Nifleheim has no known ruler, but please, who do you think yourself to be?” he asked, voice tight and his muscles tensing ready to fight. She fell to the floor and landed on her feet without faltering in the slightest. She set the book back on the bookshelf. She smiled and waved her hand in a flourish over her face. 

“I’m the Goddess of Death, but you may call me Hela.” She extended a hand to him. “And this is my Kingdom, but I don’t mind a dragon’s protection.” 

“It’s nice to meet you Hela. I’m James, and my sleeping mate is the God of knowledge, war, smithing, magic, and of course, also, death. I prefer to call him Anthony.” He took her hand as was expected of him before stepping back. 

“I think we’ll be great friends, us three,” she said. Her sharp smile and the waiting corpses ready to fight caused him to reflect her grin. 

James couldn’t have agreed more. 

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, I know that probably spawned a bajillion questions, but they'll be explained in time, hopefully, unless I forget about them, but I'll try not to let that happen.


End file.
